Cyril Dessel – “I saw that Mercado was the man to focus on...”

“Today the plan was to try and slip away into an escape group and it eventually came together with 12 other riders involved. It’s true that you have to have good legs to be in the right move but a bit of luck is also useful. That’s what happened and I really felt strong today. _ “On the first climb, I saw that Mercado was the man to focus on because it was clear that he was the rider with the best form in the breakaway group. I always tried to stay with him and really had to make myself suffer but I knew it was the right strategy to employ. We were joined on the descent of the Col de Soudet by Landaluze, Isasi and Rinero and together we worked well as we rode through the valley. _ “On the final descent we had to work hard to stay ahead of Landaluze because he was coming back at us quickly. _ “I wanted to try and win the stage but Mercado knew what he had to do, he stayed on my wheel and launched his sprint a long way from the line and although I tried, I had no answer. I missed the stage win but it was a fantastic day. _ From here I can focus on the climbing classification and enjoy the time I get to spend in the yellow jersey.”